Mode of constructing stores



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. JOHNSON, OF PATONSVILLE, TENNESSEE.

MODE OF CONSTRUCTING STORES.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 17,627, dated June 23, 1857.

T 0 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, W. L. JOHNSON, of Patonsville, county of VVilliamS, in the State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Constructing Stores, 6to., Whereby Goods May be Readily Saved from Fire; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in hinging the front or fronts of stores to the end of the fioor and in continuing the rails or tracks up the inside of the fronts and in hinging the tracks on the fronts to the tracks on the floor of the store, by which improvement I am enabled to furnish the counters, &c., with additional length of tracks to run them clear of the stores in case of fire, without (comparatively) any additional eX- pense.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use Amy invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters marked thereon.

(D. D. &c.) represent the back, sides, and top of a one story building or store constructed on my plan.

(G. G.) are platforms or trucks which support the shelves (g. g.) in which the goods are ept, also the counters/(H. H). Said trucks are furnished with suitable wheels (a. a. &c.) resting upon the rails or track (b. 6.).

(A. A.) are the fronts of the store, constructed of wood or iron, on the inside of which are rails or tracks (b. b.) corresponding with those on the floor and hinged to them. Said fronts are secured in a closed condition by means of bars (c. c.) and suitable bolts having staples or nuts on the inside.

(B) is the door of the building.

(E. E.) are chains attached to the forward ends of the trucks or platforms, and are intended to ull out said trucks by.

The she ves and counters on either side of the store may be built on two or more separate trucks, (as seen at Figure 3,) which may be connected at pleasure by hooks and staples (i).

When the fronts are closed they may be made to present the sameza pearance as a stationary front and be equa y strong.

(Fig. 2) represents the front of the store closed; (Fig. 1) the same with fronts (A. A) opened or et down. (Fig. 3) is a vertical longitudinal section showing the front (A.) closed, and (Fig. 4) the same section with the front (A) represented o en or let down and the trucks on which are uilt the shelves and counters in the act of running out or being cleared from the store.

It will be seen that with my improvement the trucks are readily eXtricated from the store by means of the continuous rails or tracks or complete road or track which is formed by letting down the fronts (A) on which the rails are continued. The rails on the fronts are hinged to those on the floor and form the hinges on which said fronts open.

I am aware that stores or other buildings have been before constructed in such manner as that the fronts could be thrown open, being hinged at their sides as doors, and that the shelves counters, &c., have been built on trucks running or resting on rails laid in the floor of the building, and do not therefore wish to be understood as laying any claim thereto, but

Having explained the construction and operation of my invention, what I do claim as my improvement and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Constructing the fronts (A. A.) with rails (b.) corresponding to those on the fioor and hinged or pivoted thereto for the purpose of throwing down the said fronts in the plane of the fioor and forming a continuous road or track on which the trucks containing the counters, goods, &c., may be readily run out or clear of the building as hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 9th of March, 1857.

WILLIAM L. JOHNSON. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

JOHN C. HELM, JOHN S. PARRISH. 

